The airport is easily accessible by public transport buses, express buses and, most importantly, by train directly to the centre of Stockholm.

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Trains are the quickest – but also the most expensive – way to get to the city centre; the cheapest option is to take a local bus to Märsta station and then a commuter train.

The Vy-Flygbussarna buses offer the best value for money, with several stops in the city centre.

Always buy tickets at the best price on the specific operator’s website. On the sj.se website, the lowest prices are only available for SJ’s own services or SL services. Although tickets for other operators can be purchased via sj.se, they are usually more expensive.

Operator	Type	Price	Journey time	Frequency
Arlanda Express	Train	340 sek 640 sek Return	18 minutes	30 minutes
Mälartåg	Train	218 sek	19 minutes	60 minutes
Commuter train 40	Train	177 sek	38 minutes	30 minutes
Vy-Flygbussarna	Bus	129 sek	50 minutes	15 minutes
Flixbus	Bus	from 95 sek	45 minutes	60–75 minutes
Lines 583/597 + Commuter Train 40/41	Bus + train	39 sek 165 sek for 24 hours	70 minutes	15 minutes

Trains to Stockholm

The railway is the fastest way to get to central Stockholm and, with a change, to travel throughout Sweden. There are two types of train you can use.

Arlanda Express and Mälartåg

These express trains, which take 18 and 19 minutes respectively to reach Stockholm Central Station without stopping, are operated by two separate companies: Arlanda Express and Mälartåg.

You can buy a ticket online atarlandaexpress.com(no date is required; the ticket is valid for all services until you use it) or atmalartag.se(you must select a specific service, but you can use it for a later service on the same day). With both operators, you can also buy a ticket from a ticket machine, where payment is by card only.

• Arlanda Express – 340 sek one-way/ 640 sek return
  • Group discount for 2 – 460 sek one-way / 920 sek return
  • Group discount for 4 – 700 sek one-way / 1 400 sek return
• Mälartåg – 218 sek one-way (no discount available on return tickets)

Arlanda Express trains run three times an hour and stop at the ‘Arlanda Norra’ (Terminals 4/5) and ‘Arlanda Södra’ (Terminals 2/3) stations at the airport.

Mälartåg trains run only once an hour and stop at Arlanda Central station beneath the SkyCity terminal.

• Journey time to Stockholm C – 18minutes
• Fares –340 sek / 640 sekfor a return ticket on the Arlanda Express, or 218 sek for Mälartåg (group discount for 2 people available only on the Arlanda Express)
• Frequency – 15–30minutes (3 services per hour) on the Arlanda Express, or 60 minutes on the Mälartåg
• First service from Stockholm C – 4.20 (Arlanda Express)
• Last service from the airport – 1.05 am (Arlanda Express)

Whilst the Arlanda Express always starts and ends at Stockholm C station, Mälartåg runs all the way to the city of Örebro.

Local trains

Both regular local trains operated by Stockholm’s transport authority SL (known as Pendeltåg) and long-distance trains operated by Swedish Railways (SJ) stop at the airport. Please note that a ticket purchased for the ‘Pendeltåg’ on line 40 cannot be used on SJ InterCity trains, and vice versa.

However, ticket prices to the airport are higher than standard fares within the city, and day passes or multi-day passes for Stockholm cannot be used on direct SJ or SL trains.

SJ / SL trains stop at Arlanda Central station beneath the SkyCity terminal.

Tickets for ‘Pendeltåg’ trains on line 40

You can buy a ticket at the ticket office at the station entrance or via the SL mobile app (Google Play / App Store). Tickets can also be purchased via the Swedish Railways (SJ) website, although a surcharge of 23 Swedish kronor applies.

• Journey time to Stockholm C – 38 minutes
• Fare – 177 sek
• Frequency – every 30 minutes
• First service from Stockholm C – 4.08
• Last service from the airport – 0:43

The journey takes 38 minutes, as Line 40 trains stop at several stations along the way. The advantage of the Line 40 Pendeltåg trains is that they continue from Stockholm C station without the need to change trains, all the way to the southern parts of Stockholm; see the map below.

Tickets for SJ trains

You can also use SJ intercity trains to travel to the city centre, but tickets at the airport can only be purchased via the sj.se website or the SJ mobile app, and they are also more expensive than tickets for Line 40 trains.

• from 185 sek

Take a look at our guide to rail travel, not just in Sweden:

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Buses to Stockholm

The best value for money in terms of price and journey time is offered by Vy Flygbussarna buses, which run to central Stockholm via three different routes. You’ll find the bus stops at the airport in front of Terminal 2/3.

A one-way ticket costs 129 sek, but for more distant stops (e.g. Brommaplan) the price is 139 sek.

Buy a ticket – Flygbussarna.se

Flygbussarna has the advantage over the train or Flixbus in that it offers more routes and thus serves a large part of Stockholm with direct services.

Flygbussarna routes:

• Arlanda – Cityterminalen (Stockholm city centre): from 3.00 to 2.10, every 15 minutes (every 30 minutes in the morning and evening)
• Arlanda – Liljeholmen: from 4:00 to 23:55 at 30-minute intervals
• Arlanda – Brommaplan: from 3.55 am to 11.35 pm, every 60 minutes

Flygbussarna services are supplemented several times a day by cheaper Flixbus services. Depending on how full the bus is, a ticket costs between 93 sek and 120 sek. The downside is that these services run much less frequently and there is only one stop in the city centre.

Ideally, buy your tickets online via the websites of both companies.

• flygbussarna.se/en/arlanda (purchased without specifying a date or time, and valid for 3 months from the date of purchase on any service)
• flixbus.com (Tickets are purchased for a specific journey)

As well as the terminus stops, Flygbussarna buses also stop at several other locations in Stockholm, such as Järva Krog, Frösunda and Norra.

• Journey time to the city centre – 45–50 minutes
• Fare – from 95 sek for Flixbus, or 129 sek for Flygbussarna
• Frequency – every 15–30 minutes (Flygbussarna); irregular, approx. 10–13 times a day (Flixbus)
• First service from Stockholm C – 3.00 am (Flygbussarna)
• Last service from the airport – 2.10 am (Flygbussarna)

The cheapest route via Märsta station

The cheapest, but longest, route to the city centre and the northern parts of Stockholm is by bus number 583 or 597 to the nearby Märsta railway station, followed by the 41 suburban train.

A ticket 42 sek is valid for 75 minutes and is sufficient for a journey to central Stockholm. The zonal system for individual tickets has been abolished, so the ticket is valid throughout the entire area served by public transport.

You can conveniently pay for a single-journey ticket using your contactless payment card by tapping it on the validator inside the bus or on the platform at the train station (including when changing trains).

However, when paying by card, no daily limits are applied, so if you wish to use a 24-hour ticket, it is better value to buy it via the mobile app or at a ticket office.

Multi-day tickets can also be used for this combination of transport (bus 583/597 + trains from Märsta station):

• 24 hours for 175 sek
• 72 hours for 350 sek
• A complete guide to fares in Stockholm

You can buy a ticket as a physical card at the SL ticket office in the arrivals terminal or, much more conveniently, via the SL mobile app (available at: Google Play / App Store).

The journey takes 60–70 minutes in total, with buses number 583 and trains 40 and 41 from Märsta to Stockholm Central Station running every 15 minutes; the latter two run more frequently.

• Timetables for buses 583 or597
• Pendeltåg 40 train timetable
• Pendeltåg 41 train timetable

The first service from Stockholm C to Märsta leaves at 4.08 am (the train goes directly to the airport, but there is a surcharge on the total fare 181 sek). The last service on bus 597 from the airport leaves at 0.34 am.

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Transport map of Stockholm

To the city of Uppsala

The university town of Uppsala is situated north of the airport and is roughly the same distance as the centre of Stockholm; it is accessible throughout the day by bus and train.

Train

The most common way to get to Uppsala is by the Pendeltåg line 40, which runs every 30 minutes. The journey to Uppsala C station takes 19 minutes and a ticket costs 179 sek.

The last train from the airport to Uppsala leaves at 00:46, and the first train from Uppsala to the airport leaves at 04:26.

Timetables and online ticket booking are available on the Swedish Railways website atwww.sj.se.

Mälartågtrainstravelto Uppsala just as quickly as Pendeltåg, but only once an hour. The advantage is a lower ticket price 174 sek. Timetables and online ticket purchases can be found on the websitemalartag.se/en.

Flixbus (the cheapest option)

Flixbus usually offers the lowest fares between Arlanda Airport and Uppsala. Prices are determined by occupancy and start at 88 sek.

However, this is the least frequent option: buses run on this route just 6 times a day.

• Buy a ticket at flixbus.com

Regional bus

The cheapest way to travel is on Uppsala public transport bus route 801. The journey takes 50 minutes and buses run every half hour.

You’ll need a 5-zone ticket for the bus, which costs 165 sek when purchased from a ticket machine or via the UL mobile app (available at Google Play / App Store). A ticket bought from the driver costs 210 sek. The journey takes 50 minutes and buses run every half hour.

Information on timetables and services in Uppsala can be found on the websitewww.ul.se.

Bus + train combination

As with the journey to Stockholm, the cheapest way to travel to Uppsala is by taking bus number 583 or 597 to Märsta station and then continuing by SJ Regional train.

Buses 583 and 597 run every 15 minutes, whilst the train runs only once an hour. The bus fare is 39 sek (pay by tapping your own card on the validator inside the bus), whilst the train fare is 55 sek. Tickets can be purchased online atwww.ul.se. You can also use the mobile app (available at Google Play / App Store) or from a ticket machine at the station.

Car hire

If you’re planning a road trip around Sweden, hiring a car directly at the airport is the ideal option. Arlanda Airport is situated right next to one of Sweden’s main motorways.

Prices for a week’s hire in summer start at 250 eur, and in the off-season from 200 eur.

Compare prices – book a car

Taxi

Taxi fares to Stockholm city centre are fixed, though there may be slight variations between different companies.

Generally, taxi fares range from 780 sek to 800 sek.

The Uber and Bolt mobile apps offer significantly better value, with a journey to Stockholm city centre costing as little as around 400 sek.